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    Meet the Candidates 2020: Joe Biden: A Voter's Guide
    Meet the Candidates 2020: Joe Biden: A Voter's Guide
    Meet the Candidates 2020: Joe Biden: A Voter's Guide
    Ebook152 pages1 hour

    Meet the Candidates 2020: Joe Biden: A Voter's Guide

    By Grant Stern

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    About this ebook

    Is Joe Biden the right Democrat to face Trump in 2020? Decide by reading this guide to his policies, accomplishments as vice president to Barack Obama, and complicated past as a Congressman.

    Even before he decided to run, Joe Biden was the most popular Democratic candidate for president in 2020. On the heels of serving as vice president, and close friend, to Barack Obama, Biden’s resume and likability position the former Congressman from Delaware as the favorite for the nomination. He holds s strong lead in the polls.

    But Joe Biden’s legacy is much more complicated. He chaired the Foreign Relations and Senate Judiciary Committees, but his treatment of Anita Hill in the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court hearings will be a black mark on his candidacy. He oversaw successful Great Recession relief and the Violence Against Women Act and ultimately received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but the racial statements from his past will reflect poorly when promoted by Republicans and fellow Democratic candidates. And Biden has faced allegations of inappropriate touching by several women. Meet the Candidates 2020: Joe Biden: A Voter’s Guide will explore these contradictions and help you decide if Biden is your choice for 2020. 

    The Meet the Candidates 2020 series is the informed voter’s guide to making a decision in the 2020 Democratic primary and presidential election. Each book gives an unbiased, political insider’s analysis of each contender, featuring: candidate interviews; an introduction by campaign advisor, Democratic Coalition co-founder, and Dworkin Report host Scott Dworkin; and compilation and writing by Occupy Democrats Editor at Large Grant Stern. In two hours of reading, you’ll understand their defining characteristics, credentials, campaign issues, challenges, presidential chances, and everything else you need to know to decide who should challenge Donald Trump. Whether it’s for Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, or another, Meet the Candidates is what you need to make an informed vote for president in 2020.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSkyhorse
    Release dateJul 23, 2019
    ISBN9781510750395
    Meet the Candidates 2020: Joe Biden: A Voter's Guide

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      Book preview

      Meet the Candidates 2020 - Scott Dworkin

      Introduction Copyright © 2019 by Scott Dworkin

      Compiled and written by Grant Stern

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

      Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com.

      Skyhorse® and Skyhorse Publishing® are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation.

      Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

      Cover design by Brian Peterson

      ISBN: 978-1-5107-5031-9

      Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-5039-5

      Printed in the United States of America

      CONTENTS

      INTRODUCTION TO JOE BIDEN BY SERIES EDITOR SCOTT DWORKIN

      WHO IS JOE BIDEN?

      DEFINING MOMENTS IN BIDEN’S POLITICAL CAREER

      The 2016 Presidential Election

      Victory

      Inauguration

      Biden Becomes the Vice President

      POLICY: CAMPAIGN PLATFORMS

      BIOGRAPHY: BIDEN’S METEORIC RISE TO OFFICE AND HIS FAMILY TRAGEDY

      EARLY SENATE CAREER

      The Thirty-Year-Old Senator-Elect’s Personal Tragedies

      From Pro-busing to Antibusing

      Expanding Responsibility through Committee Leadership

      SENATOR BIDEN’S FIRST PRESIDENTIAL RUN AND THE BORK HEARINGS

      An Auspicious Late Start to the Campaign

      Biden Oversees Judiciary Committee When a Key Supreme Court Seat Becomes Vacant

      A Media Firestorm

      A Bipartisan Group of Senators Rallies Around Biden

      Biden’s Campaign Ends Amid Exaggerated Shadow of Past Misdeeds

      Finishing the Bork Hearings

      Biden’s Near-Death Experience

      LATE SENATE CAREER

      Biden Votes Against First War in Iraq

      Controversial Supreme Court Hearings Expose Sexual Harassment in the American Workplace

      The Biden Crime Bill: Pluses and Minuses

      The Bankruptcy Bill

      2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force on Iraq

      Biden’s Second Presidential Campaign

      ANALYSIS OF JOE BIDEN’S CHANCES FOR WINNING THE NOMINATION AND PRESIDENCY

      NOTES

      INTRODUCTION TO JOE BIDEN

      BY SERIES EDITOR SCOTT DWORKIN

      In 2010, I was invited to Vice President Joe Biden’s Christmas party at his official residence. Once I got through security, Dr. Jill and Joe Biden were there personally to greet me. We took some quick pictures together, and after I had a short conversation with the Bidens, I headed into the actual party.

      Even though there were over a hundred people in the room, and even though it was packed, there were two things that really stood out to me. One was the fact that you could tell where Joe Biden was in the room at all times. He has a kind of energy that few politicians have; it resonates around you. And two, when you did bump into or talk to Biden, he was genuine, serious, but always seeming to have a positive outlook.

      He was really happy guy that night, truly enjoying himself and the festivities for the holiday season. And he didn’t just drop in and leave. He stayed around for a few hours. He hung out and was actually having a good time. He and I spoke again briefly about the holiday season, and then after a few hours, the party was over. It was a blast.

      Joe Biden has a number of political strengths that will serve his 2020 primary campaign well. The personality and charisma he showed that night are chief among them.

      The connection Biden makes with people is raw and genuine; it’s his top strength. And it’s so rare. It’s no wonder he’s running for president again. This is a time when the American people need someone who truly cares about America, a true patriot who has proudly served in elected office for nearly half a century.

      The personal link Biden can form with voters on the campaign trail is one of the main things that sets him apart from the other candidates running. When Joe Biden speaks to individuals, it seems like those are the only people in the world who matter to him. I think that’s truly the case. He has that kind of focus where he can set you apart from everything else and actually actively listen to what you’ve got to say. Plus, if you give him some kind of question or concern that he doesn’t have an immediate answer to, the former vice president would make sure his staff actually follows up.

      In addition to Joe Biden’s ability to connect with people, he has a calming nature about him, a high energy level, and always seems to have a positive attitude—especially when he’s faced multiple tragedies in his life, including the death of his first wife and his one-year-old daughter due to a car accident, only weeks after he won his first Senate campaign, and the tragic loss of his son Beau to brain cancer nearly forty-three years later while Biden was serving as vice president.¹ I can’t think of many more tragic things that could happen to someone.

      Still, Biden somehow managed to carry on with his duties as an elected official, and thrive. That shows true strength that’s worthy of the presidency; it requires someone to adhere to a duty to serve these United States in the best way possible, in all ways, at all times, no matter what stands in your way.

      Another strength of the former vice president’s campaign is the fact he has become one of the most trusted names in American politics. That matters especially nowadays, with so many elected officials telling lies and committing corrupt acts. That, coupled with his name recognition and familiarity, will be a boon to his campaign. It’s been one of the many things that’s allowed his campaign to take off like a rocket ship early in the 2020 Democratic primary.

      Unlike the 2008 and 2016 elections, where a fresh face and less political experience seemed to serve as a benefit for Obama and Trump, in 2020 Biden’s depth of experience in politics will be a great benefit to his candidacy. Experience matters this election cycle. The American people want to know that they will have someone who can hit the ground running in the White House, someone who doesn’t have a learning curve. There will be so much corruption to uncover, and so many things within the government to overhaul that Trump’s damaged, that we will need a skilled political mind to help clean up the mess. Biden fits that bill.

      While researching Biden’s candidacy, I spoke to my good friend Lilly Ledbetter, the inspiration for the first bill President Obama signed into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. She told me that, former Vice President Joe Biden is the most qualified person running for president. Biden has integrity, compassion, experience, and the love of our country. The president’s job is not an-on-the-job training; they need to know how to do get to work the moment they’re elected.

      I also talked to another good friend of mine, Dr. Quincy Lucas, who, like Lilly, I had the pleasure of serving as an aide during President Obama’s 2009 inaugural festivities. Dr. Lucas was responsible for nominating Joe Biden during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. He told me, In a day and time where our country is in desperate need of a servant leader and a leadership team that is both humble and focused on human welfare for all—I place my trust in Joe Biden. He continued to say:

      Through my observations of and interactions with former Vice President Biden, I am confident in his ability to return our country to a place of stability. Joe Biden is intentional and unapologetic about his passion for service and commitment. As both an educator and advocate, I am interested in supporting individuals who are knowledgeable and courageous that will inspire change through best practices and action—Joe Biden will do just that!

      As Lilly and Dr. Lucas noted, Biden’s political experience is paramount for his campaign. It’s going to be difficult for any other candidate to claim experience when standing next to him, although some of them are citing the need for change. It’s the same age-old political rallying cry that Biden plied in his first 1988 presidential run and, twenty years later, propelled President Obama to the White House and Biden to living at the vice president’s official residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory.

      One of the biggest strengths in Biden’s candidacy is something I call The Obama Effect. His political partnership with former President Obama was so unique that it will only benefit his standing in the race. He worked tirelessly for Obama, both on the campaign trail and in the White House. And people don’t seem to forget that. Especially not Barack Obama.

      Joe Biden is the only one who can say I served as Obama’s vice president and I served as Obama’s right-hand man. That will matter, big time. People will want to recall the moments

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